Pitching a'plenty at Mt. Olive

Earl Weaver had four 20-game winners with the Baltimore Orioles in 1971 and this year's Mount Olive softball squad had a similarly impressive pitching accomplishment at the high school level -- two 10-game winners (in a 28-game season) each with an earned run average under 1.00.

Hannah Ensel (13-4 with a 0.62 ERA) and Emily Archer (10-1, 0.99 ERA) led the Marauders to their first sectional title since 1996 this season.

GEORGE PACCIELLO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSenior Hannah Ensel, The Reporter's "Player of the Year," did most of the pitching down the home stretch for Mount Olive High as the Marauders reached the Morris County Tournament title game and captured the North Jersey Section 1 Group 3 playoff crown. She went 13-4 with a 0.62 earned run average this season.

Even though Mount Olive had a lineup in which the first six batters all hit .297 or better, the Marauders needed stellar performances from Ensel to win the semifinal and championship games to capture the North Jersey Section 1 Group 3 title. Mount Olive edged Ramapo 3-1 and Montville 1-0 as Head Coach George Ottavinia went with his senior when the team's championship hopes hung in the balance.

Ensel's dynamic performances under do-or-die pressure have earned her The Reporter's Softball Player of the Year designation for 2008.

"I alternated Hannah and Emily all season, but when it got to those big elimination games, I went with Hannah because she was the hot hand," the 16-year coaching veteran said. "Hannah has great command of the strike zone with a variety of pitches.

"The batters never can be sure of what she'll throw next and when they lay off the curves and drops, they find themselves behind in the count. She didn't walk a batter until her 55th inning of the season and she only walked eight in 113 innings all season."

Ensel struck out 128 while only allowing 62 hits.

"I never set out to be a strikeout pitcher," said Ensel, a Reporter Area Athlete of the Year nominee. "I've had faith in our defense (which had a .950 fielding percentage as a team this year) and simply concentrated on keeping the ball away from the batter's power. I throw curves, risers, a screwball, and a drop. Sometimes I throw a changeup, just to put one more thing into the batter's mind.
"I give credit to my fielders for my success and also to Emily. It's wonderful to have a couple of days off between starts. I almost feel sorry for the pitchers on the other teams who pitch every game. You don't just pitch with your arm, you put everything into it, and you can be quite sore the day after you pitch."
Two of Ensel's losses were heartbreakers -- 2-1 to Morris Knolls in the Morris County Tournament final and 1-0 in nine innings to J.F. Kennedy-Iselin in the Group 3 state semifinal.
"We made very few errors but we had a costly one in each of those two games, letting in the tying run in one game and the winning run in the other," said Ottavinia. "Hannah was as graceful and composed in a tough loss as she was in a win, though, which showed me a lot about her character."
Archer tossed a five-inning no-hitter against Columbia, a three-hit shutout against West Morris, and dominated most of her opponents with a hard fastball mixed in with an assortment of curves and change ups.
"She also has command of the strike zone and fields her position very well, too," Ottavinia said.
When asked if Archer figures to pitch every game next season, Ottavinia answered, "I'll give another pitcher an opportunity to start a few games before I make that kind of a decision. I prefer to platoon two pitchers, because I believe in resting them. I've been fortunate that I've had lots of good pitchers over the years who I could rotate."
Just like Weaver in the 1970s, Ottavinia has had lots of pitching, defense, and three-run homers.
"I'm proud that we defeated four conference champs this season," he said. "Emily beat Kittatinny (a Group 2 state finalist) and West Milford and Hannah beat Ramapo and Montville."
The two pitchers also alternated as designated hitters in the Mount Olive lineup.
Four other Marauders -- junior catcher Kathleen Mooney, junior infielders Amanda Dizinno and Julie Jenkins and freshman outfielder Maggie Lee -- also nabbed first-team All-Area honors. Archer, Mooney, Dizinno and Jenkins all are first-team selections for the second straight year.
Mooney batted .325 with three home runs and 23 runs batted in. Dizinno, who only struck out twice in 104 plate appearances, batted .364 and led Mount Olive with 36 hits and 25 RBI.
Jenkins, moved from the outfield to shortstop, fielded splendidly and batted .374 with 34 hits and 20 RBI from the leadoff spot in the lineup. Her .450 on-base average set the table for the rest of the lineup, including Lee, who batted .321 with 14 RBI.
Senior third baseman Noelle Diana batted .314 and has been selected to the second team.
BELVIDERE
The County Seaters clinched the Skyland Conference-Valley Division title for the second straight season, finishing with a 16-9 overall record. It was the fourth consecutive division title for BHS, as two previous championships in 2005-06 were won in the Raritan Division before the conference realigned into a four-division setup.
Many players came and went during the past four years but Megan Roncoroni, the program's all-time wins leader, was the pitching ace on all four championship teams.
Roncoroni pitched every game once again this year, with a 1.85 ERA, 154 strikeouts in 170 2/3 innings, while walking 42 and allowing 140 hits. At bat, she hit .314 with a .394 on-base percentage, leading BHS with 27 hits.
Third baseman Nicole Howell and catcher Kate Ruby, also seniors, had solid offensive seasons in joining Roncoroni on the second team. Howell batted .338 with a .467 on-base average, with 25 hits, and 18 walks. She tied with junior outfielder Dana Drake for the team's RBI lead with 13.
Head Coach Dan Dempsey also credited shortstop Melissa Garris (.296), second baseman Megan Vokes and first baseman Codie Schaeffer for having solid seasons.
"We got into a late-season slump and had trouble getting that big hit, but we were in the games and I'm proud of the season we had," he said.
HACKETTSTOWN
The Tigers also had a 16-9 season, the best record at HHS in the last 30 years.
"Todd Boepple established a winning culture here and the girls took it a step further this year," said new Tigers Head Coach Dale Garlick.
Sophomore Liz Tillou pitched three no-hitters and was the winning pitcher in all 16 of the team's games. She was the pitcher of record in all 25 games. She also was dynamic at bat, with a .482 average, 11 doubles, two home runs, 21 runs scored and 27 RBI.
"Liz certainly was our team MVP," Garlick said. "I've coached a lot of years in Morris County and have never had a harder worker than Liz. I'm looking forward to having her lead our teams the next two years."
Joining Tillou on the first team is shortstop Ali Wagner, also as a sophomore. Fleet afoot, Wagner batted .456, with 41 hits, 19 runs scored and nine RBI out of the leadoff position.
Freshman Taylor Thorp hit her way onto the first team in the outfield with a .323 average, six doubles, and 13 runs scored.
"She was marvelous in center field," said Garlick. "She can run down those drives into the gaps."
Earning second-team recognition were freshman catcher Ashley Iannone (.301) and senior second baseman Melissa Volkert (.320, 14 runs scored, 13 RBI). Both were outstanding defensively and Volkert was a first-team All-Skyland Conference-Raritan Division pick.
NORTH WARREN
Although she lost her entire sophomore season to a knee injury, junior pitcher Michelle Cecchetti (13-11) led the Skyland Conference-Valley Division with a .514 batting average and her pitching kept improving as the season wore on, as she beat Belvidere and Hackettstown, teams that had beaten NWHS the first time around.
Riding eight victories in their last nine games to a winning record, Head Coach Jen Menges said the Patriots had "lots of motivation, because we knew we were not at our best the first time around. With no seniors, we kept playing hard, because we wanted some winning momentum to carry into next year."
The coach praised outfielder Carly Bigos, third-year catcher Lynn Weiss, outfielder Guistina Lorusso and second baseman Hilary Riley with being strong contributors to the winning surge.
PHILLIPSBURG
Although the Stateliners (5-17) fell far short of a state tournament bid in Jamie Holloway's first season as head coach, the season still had its highlights, including victories on the road over Warren County rivals Belvidere (4-2) and Warren Hills (6-3) on successive days.
Ali Decker had three hits, including a home run as the first batter of the game, in the win over Belvidere April 30 and two hits in the win over Warren Hills. Katelyn Marinelli had two hits, including a three-run double, in the win against Warren Hills. Rachel Raabe homered against Voorhees and had two hits and a RBI against dominant Hunterdon Central pitcher Jenna Carman.
Senior outfielder Allyson Scerbo hit a two-run homer in a win over Franklin and had two hits in the win at Warren Hills.
Pitcher Lauren Lusardi was named the team's Most Valuable Player. Her two-run triple helped her hit and pitch her way to the win at Belvidere. She pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Franklin and had 13 strikeouts in a loss to Voorhees.
WARREN HILLS
Senior Nicole Cruts leads a three-player Blue Streaks contingent on the first team which includes sophomore second baseman Krysten Rosamilia and junior outfielder Kelly O'Dell.
Rosamilia led WHHS with a .400 batting average and topped the team in runs scored, leadoff batter Cruts hit .372 with a team-leading 17 RBI and O'Dell batted .306, was second on the team in runs scored and only committed one error all season. She also was a first-team All-Area pick in basketball this winter.
"Cruts had five game-winning RBI hits for us and her 106 career hits put her third on the all-time list at Warren Hills," said Head Coach Dan Delaney. "We don't have stats going back through the years for runners thrown out by a catcher, but Cruts threw out 97, of which 31 were this year. I can't remember anybody having that kind of a season and career as a catcher, ever. It's certainly the best in my seven years of coaching here, by far."
With a .292 batting average, leftfielder Meaghan Kohler hit her way onto the second team.
"She covers ground and has a great arm," said Delaney. "She hit against good pitchers. She had five hits in our two games against Hunterdon Central. I'm glad she and Kelly will be back in the outfield next year to build the team around."